Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is where the Zambezi plunges into a chasm. Victoria Falls, Mosi-oa-Tunya or “the smoke that thunders”, is one of the world’s great waterfalls, a UNESCO World Heritage Site shared with Zambia. The Zimbabwean bank faces its longest stretch, along a spray-fed rainforest path of viewpoints; the spray shows from afar, and full moons bring lunar rainbows. Near the town of Victoria Falls, gorges such as Batoka Gorge zigzag downstream; upstream come sunset cruises, and helicopter flights over the falls.

Hwange, the country’s largest national park, is known for great elephant herds at waterholes; Mana Pools on the Zambezi, a UNESCO site, for canoeing and walking among floodplain pools. Lake Kariba offers drowned forests and sunsets; the Matobo Hills, granite boulders and ancient rock paintings; Great Zimbabwe, the stone ruins of an ancient city — both also UNESCO-listed.

The falls are fullest roughly February–May, when spray can veil the view; later the water drops and the rock face shows. The dry season, about May–October, is best for game viewing; the green season, roughly November–April, brings rain, lush landscapes and birdlife. Zimbabwe suits Falls-and-safari trips, honeymooners, families and first safaris, and pairs with Botswana’s Chobe and Okavango Delta (Kasane is a short drive), Livingstone across the river, South Africa’s Cape Town, Winelands and Kruger area, or Mauritius and the Seychelles.